The present invention relates to creepers for use by mechanics and, more particularly, to such a creeper having a contoured platform for supporting a user and a plurality of detachable casters extending from the bottom thereof.
Creepers are used by virtually every automobile mechanic in order to comfortably maneuver while lying on his back underneath an automobile. Typically, a creeper has a number of casters mounted to its lower surface in order to allow the mechanic to move around under the car and change position.
It is important for the casters to be able to freely rotate underneath the platform to provide the mechanic with the mobility needed to maneuver under a car. A typical caster has a bracket secured through the hub of a wheel and a shaft extending upwardly from the top of the bracket. The shaft is adapted to fit into a cylindrical hole formed in the platform. In most existing creepers, it is often difficult to secure the caster to the bottom of the platform. For example, some creepers may require that the shaft be secured to the platform by threading the former into internal threads that surround the hole formed in the platform. Accordingly, the user has to manually thread the shaft up into the platform. This is a relatively time consuming task.
In other creepers, the shaft may be force fitted up into a hole formed in the platform or may be attached utilizing external threads at the top of the shaft and a nut with internal threads so that the later can be threaded to the former. These prior art arrangements, however, can be time consuming to assemble and frequently result in casters that can loosen and become unstable.